veranda

noun

ve·​ran·​da və-ˈran-də How to pronounce veranda (audio)
variants or verandah
: a usually roofed open gallery or portico attached to the exterior of a building

Examples of veranda in a Sentence

whiling away the afternoon from the inn's wide veranda
Recent Examples on the Web Today, the establishment is part of Backwell’s Island Outpost hotel chain, and boasts 13 Georgian-style cottages adorned with plantation shutters, fretwork fanlights hand-crafted by local artisans, mahogany four-poster beds and French doors spilling out to private verandas. Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2024 The spectacular luxury home sits near Cruz Bay and boasts uninterrupted views of Virgin Islands National Park from an expansive veranda by the infinity pool and a rooftop deck. Jasmine Browley, Essence, 25 Mar. 2024 Huffman said the veranda is an ideal spot for wedding ceremonies. Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 5 Mar. 2024 The grand ballroom and lobby can host hundreds of people, while the veranda is more intimate. Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 31 Jan. 2024 Maisonettes at Verina Terra feature two bedrooms, a small living room and two large verandas. Jordan Riefe, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Nov. 2023 The ballroom connects to the hotel’s terrace, and a butler’s pantry supports both the event space and garden veranda. Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 The hotel has several ballrooms that can accommodate a wedding or reception, including the awe-inspiring grand lobby and a veranda for outdoor events. Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 31 Jan. 2024 Silversea Silver Origin The 100-passenger Silver Origin is an all-suite ship with accommodations up to 1,722 square feet, some with in-room espresso machines and mini-bars, private verandas, and butler service. Karen Catchpole, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'veranda.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed perhaps via an Indo-Portuguese creole from Portuguese varanda, akin to Spanish baranda "railing" (earlier, "balcony, floor of a building"), Catalan barana "railing," Old Occitan baranda "barrier, barricade," all going back to *varanda "enclosing barrier, the area enclosed," of obscure origin; reinforced by Hindi & Urdu baraṇḍā "roofed gallery," Marathi varãḍ, varãḍā "parapet," in part borrowed from Portuguese varanda and English veranda, in part going back to Sanskrit varaṇḍaka- "mound of earth, rampart separating two fighting elephants," varaṇḍa- "partition wall"

Note: An Anglo-Indian word, most of the early evidence for which is cited in Yule and Burnell's Hobson-Jobson (2nd edition 1903) and the Oxford English Dictionary. The superficial similarity in form and meaning of the Romance and Indo-Aryan words is striking enough that the Romance scholar Joan Coromines attempted to connect them, positing an Indo-European substratal noun as the source of both, to which he added Lithuanian (Žemaitian dialect) varanda "loop plaited from flexible twigs" (Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico). It is questionable, however, if the original meanings of the three etyma are really closely comparable, so that the phonetic likeness may simply be coincidence. The Romance word has been connected with Spanish and Portuguese vara "rod, pole" and other progeny of Latin vāra "forked pole," but, as Coromines points out, the deverbal suffix -anda would require the existence of an otherwise unknown verb *varar; other Romance forms descended from a variant *varandia/varania (see Coromines) make such a hypothesis even less likely.

First Known Use

1711, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of veranda was in 1711

Dictionary Entries Near veranda

Cite this Entry

“Veranda.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veranda. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

veranda

noun
ve·​ran·​da
variants or verandah
: a long open porch usually with a roof

More from Merriam-Webster on veranda

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